ABOUT PRIX VOLTAIRE INTERNATIONAL
Prix Voltaire Board
Bob Bron (Secretary), René van Ass (Chairman) , Stephan Stokkermans (Treasurer)
PAUL POLMAN
Paul Polman is responsible for an impressive list of achievements supporting the Sustainable Goals.
In his position of CEO at Unilever he has steered the organisation in an impactful change towards Sustainability. Unilever today is sourcing the majority of its inputs on a sustainable basis. At the time he said ‘consumers see food shortages, malnutrition and climate change, and governments are not addressing those problems. Companies that do this will get a competitive advantage.’
He is former chair of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and was on the board of directors of the Consumer Goods Forum, leading its sustainability efforts. He is also a member of board of the UN Global Compact. Polman served as one of the 27 members of the UN High Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
In 2016 Polman was selected by former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to be an SDG Advocate, tasked with helping build widespread support for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. He was again appointed in 2019 by the current Secretary-General António Guterres.
Award designer: Margje Teeuwen
DAVID KATZ
With his efforts, his appearance and his persuasive communication he is an inspiration for many people around the globe and he is a role model to entrepreneurs. He created real banks where people can trade plastic for plastic money and he creates opportunities for many by presenting the re-use of an end product called Social Plastic.
With his initiatives he is reaching down to the most personal level where people can benefit, to make money out of our waste, being plastic. Not only does he do very important work for the environment, he also contributes to poverty reduction. He involves poor people and encourages them to clean up their own area and at the same time earn money with it. His initiatives, among which in Haiti, Indonesia and the Philippines have a global impact.
David has shows a highly developed moral compass and personal leadership. In his work for the Values Institute he helped entrepreneurs to look at business in a different way, and as a father he helped other fathers who have children with diseases. In his operation he works on the blockchain to prevent misuse of the system.
Award designer: Willem Schouten
JENNIFER HOLMGREN
Jennifer Holmgren is a True Friendly Fighter For Future-proof Fundamentals. Her spirit as leader and CEO of LanzaTech and LanzaJet are impressive, knowing she had to overcome challenging situations in her life to reach the position as a high calibre female leader; her technical study, her qualification and the position of her organisation in an environment dominated by men.
an alternative to aviation fuel. This is thinking in a new way, in the true spirit of Voltaire. That is what marks our future going forward: Things that seemingly can not be done will be realised by those who take the challenges on.
Award designer: Chi Wing Lo
PETER BAKKER
TIME Magazine recently named Peter as one of the Top 100 Climate Leaders in Business. He was also a recipient of the Clinton Global Citizen Award (2009), the Sustainability Leadership Award (2010) and the Prix Voltaire International (2023). He received the royal order Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau in 2018 in recognition of his long-lasting commitment to engaging business in tackling global sustainability issues.
Peter holds several corporate sustainability advisory board positions, including as Co-Chair of the Business Commission to Tackle Inequality, Board Member of GenZero, Advisory Board Member for Integrity and Sustainability at Mercedes-Benz Group, Supervisory Board Member for the Capitals Coalition and High-Level Advisory Board Member for the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UN FSS+4).
Award design: Wastecraft
DADA BORARI
Dadá Borari is an example to all people. While constantly under threat, he devotes his life to protecting his house, his environment and the complete Amazon. By doing so, he is a Friendly Fighter for the future of the whole planet. The Amazon Rainforest is vital for the future of our climate and has a direct influence on it. Dada Borari’s ‘Friendly Fights’ is one in the purest way imaginable: he tries to convince his opponents by inviting them and starts a dialogue, he wants to educate the people to explain them why the Rainforest is of the highest importance to mankind. As he says, “an educated person will not take the forest down”.
Dadá Borari lives in Sanatarém, in the province of Para State in Brazil. This region is also called a state without laws, or the ‘wild west’ of the Amazon. For decades, this region has been the leader in deforestation in Brazil. Chief Dadá is a well-known Indigenous leader in this geographic hotspot of forest crime. His mission is to protect his home territory. Hired gunmen have tried to kill him several times, which is why he has been under police protection for more than a decade.
5% of the world’s population, namely the indigenous peoples, protects 80% of the world’s biodiversity. Managing and regenerating these indigenous areas is crucial to our future.
When talking about the future, Dadá says his people need more advanced education. “We don’t want to be living in the past, where people talk on our behalf. We want to speak for ourselves. Education is fundamental in our territories and in our traditions. We want to bring our indigenous vision to the rest of the world.
My personal suffering is of little importance; I’m always representing the indigenous people. We have to show our struggles in protecting the forest.”
Award design: Ernst Koning
